Supreme Court Grants Cert in Rodney Reed Death Penalty Case

On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a petition for a writ of certiorari filed by a team of Skadden lawyers and the Innocence Project representing pro bono client Rodney Reed, a Texas death row inmate who has long claimed his innocence. The petition sought review of a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that affirmed the dismissal of Mr. Reed’s 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 action seeking DNA testing of certain crime scene evidence, including the alleged murder weapon.